Taming the Chaos

I have officially been doing the mom gig now for three years and very much still trying to figure it all out. Having gone from zero to four kiddos in 2 1/2 years people ask us how we manage and do it. To be honest I feel like I am oftentimes just winging it and praying for the best. Of course feeling like we are starting over with the addition of each new child. (Did I mention the boys are now praying for twin sisters, should I be excited or terrified?!)

In no particular order here are seven ways we have found helpful to keep the household running smoothly, semi-organized and mostly stress-free.

1.  Tidy up daily. If you walk into my house at any given moment during the day it will look like a tornado went through. Before dinner we do a quick pick up, everyone chips in and dad may never know the disaster that hit. Never go to bed with a sink full of dirty dishes. This is something that doesn’t bother Aaron, but instantly is a mood killer for me to wake up and see a sink full of dirty dishes.

2.  Stick to a bedtime routine. Regardless if Aaron is working late or not, getting ready for bed begins at the same time every night. The boys know what they need to do, so if I am flying solo I can be getting the little ones ready at the same time.

3.  Everyone knows the expectations. This applies to both behavior, discipline and also chores around the house. The boys have a couple of assigned chores that they know need to be completed before privileges.

4.  Meal plan. I really dislike grocery shopping, even more so now when my only options are to go on a Saturday when the store is chaos or with the littles in tow during a weekday. I make sure to plan out enough meals so I only have to get groceries every 7-9 days. I take a look at my meal plan the night before and decide what I will be making for dinner the following day. I also always include a couple quick and easy meals to go to if need be.

5.  Make lunches the night before. The boys bring a lunch everyday for school and no matter how early I get up my planned prepped time always disappears by someone or something needing attention. Yeah, their sandwich may not be as fresh, but it saves a lot of unneeded stress in the morning.

6.  Take a timeout. We all know there are always a million things to do; dishes, meals, cleaning, laundry, bills, etc. I have found that allowing myself some R&R while Grace and Caden take their afternoon nap has helped fuel me for the rest of the day. It doesn’t happen daily, but at least a few times a week I ignore the mess and do something I enjoy while they sleep.

7.  Have a cleaning and laundry schedule. At the beginning of the week I write down what needs to be cleaned. I have a rotating schedule, so not all of my cleaning happens in the same week. Example my floors only get vacuumed every other week unless needed otherwise. For laundry I don’t have a set day, but I am pretty consistent about throwing a load of wash in every day in order not to fall behind. I cut myself a little slack and allow one laundry basket of unfolded clothes, but never more.

I would love to hear some of the ways you tame the chaos!

Join Kelly for more. Happy Friday!!